1. Buy salt at the beginning of the year

There is a folk saying, “Buy salt at the beginning of the year and lime at the end of the year.” This is an ancient Vietnamese belief, hoping that luck and prosperity will come to the family in the new year.

Accordingly, salt is something that can ward off evil spirits and bring good things to the family. Salt also represents the warm and intimate feelings between family members. Not only that, salt also represents the intimacy and connection in the relationship between relatives, neighbors and business partners.

People go to the temple at the beginning of the year and buy salt at Hong Son temple, Vinh city. Photo: Viet Phuong

Therefore, in the first days of the new year, many people often buy a small bag of salt from street vendors, temple gates, pagodas, temples... On the morning of the first day of the new year, at Hong Son Temple, Vinh City, many people sell salt and lighters. Salt is packed in small, pretty bags and the price is also very reasonable. Each bag of salt is sold for between 10,000 and 20,000 VND.

2. Buy fire

The ancients also believed that buying fire at the beginning of the year would bring good things to the family. Fire here refers to items such as lighters, matches, etc. Many Vietnamese believe that whoever buys fire at the beginning of the year will have a successful year.

Salt and lighters are sold at markets on the first day of the new year. Photo: Viet Phuong

Therefore, people buy fire at the beginning of the year with the hope that everything will go smoothly in the new year. Usually, lighters or matches are sold together with bags of salt and are sold a lot on New Year's Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year.

3. Buy paper to ask for the first calligraphy of the year

Buying paper to ask for calligraphy at the beginning of the year is also a long-standing Vietnamese culture of praying for good luck at the beginning of the year. Asking for and giving calligraphy shows respect for knowledge, and at the same time expresses wishes for a new year.

Since ancient times, asking for calligraphy to hang in the house at the beginning of the new year has been an important thing for every family. The calligraphy hung in the house represents the identity of each family, and also expresses wishes for the new year. The person asking for calligraphy hopes to receive blessings from the person giving the calligraphy, and also hopes to receive calligraphy that matches the aspirations of the family and themselves.

To get a calligraphy, each person must spend about 50,000 - 100,000 VND to buy a piece of red paper. Then, the customer takes that slip to the calligrapher's table and asks for a calligraphy for luck. Usually, this calligraphy request takes place at communal houses, pagodas, temples, shrines...

4. Buy gold

According to ancient beliefs, buying gold at the beginning of the year will help the whole year be full and prosperous. This is also a cultural and folk belief of the Vietnamese people. Buying gold is not only to accumulate assets but also has a rich spiritual and cultural meaning, praying for luck at the beginning of the year. This is considered a meaningful and practical activity that brings benefits to the people.

Buying gold at the beginning of the year, according to many people, will also bring wealth and luck for the whole year.

Buying gold at the beginning of the year also shows the thrift and avoidance of waste of Vietnamese people from the past until now. This means always having enough to eat and save, thereby promoting the working spirit of each person.

Many people believe that buying gold on the day of the God of Wealth will bring good luck and prosperity all year round. So every January 10 (Lunar calendar) - the day of the God of Wealth - people line up from morning to night to buy gold, regardless of rain, wind, or cold.

Especially for people with Thai Bach star. If you want to solve the "Thai Bach clean house" problem, buying gold on the God of Wealth day will also bring luck and reduce the problem in the year.

5. Buy feng shui items

Feng shui items are also items that many people "hunt" for in the first days of the year. Many people believe that feng shui items that match their destiny, age, etc., displayed in the house will help increase vitality and neutralize negative energy for the homeowner.

Therefore, many people often spend several million dong, even tens of millions of dong to own feng shui items to decorate their homes at the beginning of the new year. Specifically, some commonly purchased items include: Pixiu, unicorn, carp, Buddha statues... with the hope of bringing good luck to their homes.